Mount Greylock Ride 2011

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After the fun we had during this year’s Mount Washington group ride, we planned another ride, this time to Massachusetts’ Mount Greylock.  Mount Greylock is sort of like a little version of Mount Washington.  This time it was five Ducatis: three Monsters and two Multistradas.

The ride out was one of the best routes I’ve ever ridden.  It was MUCH better than the ride to Mount Washington.  We left from Chelmsford and rode route 119 West and up into New Hampshire, over into Vermont onto route 9, and then headed South on routes 100 and 8 back into Massachusetts.  You can see the route here:  Route Map.  The roads were beautiful, fast, curvy, and virtually empty.  We saw some of the damage from the flooding that took place recently.  Trees and buildings knocked over, bridges washed out, roads partially gone, etc… You see it on the news and online, but driving through it was a different experience.  Nature is powerful stuff.

We blocked off a road with our bikes in Vermont and I helped a Snapping Turtle get safely across, which was pretty cool.  Otherwise the ride was uneventful, fast, and fun!  We had some navigational issues getting to Mount Greylock in that I had my GPS set for the visitor center, which is on the South side of the mountain, whereas since we were coming in from the North, it made more sense to head to the summit from the Northern approach.  Eventually we made it up to the top, which had some amazing views.  The food at the summit leaves a lot to be desired, so I’d strongly recommend eating somewhere else.

On the way back we thought we’d take Route 2.  Unfortunately Route 2 is closed due to flood damage, so we ended up having to run a huge detour and it took much longer to get back than we expected.  Knowing what I know now, I definitely would have just headed back on the way we had come, as it is an AMAZING ride.

Christian Going DownMe and The Lemur at Mount GreylockThe Lemur at Mount Greylock

Mount Washington Ride 2011

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Last year a large group of about 12 motorcycles rode up to Mount Washington from Boston, drove up the mountain, and came home via the Kangamangus Highway (which has got to be one of the best roads in the Northeast.  You can see pictures here: Mount Washington 2010 Photos

This year was a much smaller ride, just three bikes: myself, Christian (which Hannah riding with him) and Alex.  All Ducatis, which was fun.  Having a smaller group was easier in many ways and made the whole day a little more laid back, although I did miss the massive group ride dynamic as well.

It was a long day, leaving my house at 9 AM and getting home just after midnight, but it was a lot of great riding, amazing views, good photos, and good friends.  Climbing Mount Washington was amazing as always.  At the top there was a huge glider circling the mountain and leveraging the wind and updrafts.  I shot some video of that.  On the way home at a rest stop in New Hampshire I got some cool photos of the moon behind impressive clouds.

You can see photos and the glider video here:   Mount Washington 2011 Photos

or just look below:

Mount Washington 2011 Glider

The Perfect City Neighborhood

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I live in the suburbs. I love it, and I also miss living in the city proper.

Things I love about the suburbs:

  1. Owning my own home (decent property in the city is too expensive for me to afford)
  2. Having land.  My back yard and back deck make you feel like you’re surrounded by grass and forest.  There’s abundant cute animals, birds, and great feeling of space.  When the leaves are on the trees you can’t see anyone else’s house.
  3. Quiet.  Sound isolation is huge.  Not sharing walls/ceilings with people, not having loud street noise, traffic, sirens, etc…  Not only does it mean that I can enjoy peace and quiet or sleep when I want, but it also means if I want to play Halo or listen to music at 1 AM (like now) I can do it without bothering anyone.
  4. Having a large driveway and big garage.  Easy parking for when I throw a BBQ.  Big garage space means lots of room for toys, tools, and more.
  5. Neighbors.  I’m not SUPER close with my neighbors, but we all know each other, they’re very nice people.  We watch over each other’s houses when people are out of town.  We loan each other snowblowers and chainsaws.  My neighbors kept my driveway clear during a nasty storm when I was out of town.  I’m WAY closer to my neighbors than I ever was to any of my apartment neighbors when I lived in the city.

Things I loved about the city:

  1. Being in the heart of things.  The flow of people, vehicles, action.  The city has a heartbeat and it’s invigorating.
  2. Easy access to amazing resources.  Great restaurants, clubs, galleries, shops, public transportation, services, etc…  Living in Central Square you could walk to about anything you could possibly want or need.
  3. Social scene.  In the city it’s easy to meet up with friends, to find people to work on projects with, to find people to go to the movies with, all of it.  There’s a lot of people living very close to you, so things are pretty easy.  Try getting someone to stop by to watch a movie when you live in the ‘burbs.
  4. As sort of a combo of 2 and 3, you’re constantly exposed to new things, new ideas, new places, new events, new culture, new projects, new people.  It keeps things changing and evolving and prevents stagnation.

I’ve been reading lots about urban planning, eco centers in cities, watching TED talks (like this one: The Sharable Future of Cities) and they paint the dream of a city neighborhood that sounds amazing but I have never actually seen it.  I’d love to though.

I’m envisioning a perfect little microcosm, tailored to suit my needs and interests.  For me this neighborhood would look something like this:
It would be in a major coastal city like Boston, Seattle, San Francisco.  A city with overall good quality education, solid infrastructure, public transportation, low crime, strong economy, etc..   I’m envisioning a small neighborhood that has easy access to public transportation and ideally quick access to a major highway.  It would have a combination of some stand-alone houses with character (either new modern designs or classic older edifices or a nice mix) and some more built up brownstone type row-houses, and maybe some mini high-rises.  For anything with shared walls/floor/ceiling excellent soundproofing is a must!  The neighborhood would be designed to allow for easy and safe walking and bicycling throughout, and have a nicely laid out mix of residential house, and small local businesses: coffee shops, restaurants, bookstores, cinema, grocery store, etc…  It should have some nice common green space where you can walk your dog, play frisbee, have a picnic, host a weekly farmers market.  It should have a mix of folks with a strong focus on technology and arts.  I’m picturing a place with maybe 150-200 people, where everyone knows everyone else.  Where you can walk into the coffee shop for a drink, and find someone to play chess with and talk about whatever crazy idea you came up with in the shower that morning.

I’ve always felt if you put smart motivated people together you can accomplish amazing things, and I think aside from the normal benefits this type of designed neighborhood could bring (minimal carbon emissions, etc…) you’d see some amazing things happening there.

I guess I want my house, 150 good friends, a good coffee shop, whole foods, and an Apple store all within walking distance.  Basically a mix of Eureka, a Zen Monastery, and Kinetik.  Is that too much to ask?

Ducati Track Day at NH Motor Speedway

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Only three days after I was in Loudon, NH at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) two Sundays ago, which you can read about in Emma’s Blog post about NASCAR, I was back in Loudon, back at the NHMS, but this time it wasn’t a family outing, I was here alone to ride my Ducati Monster on the NHMS Road Race course. I’d done a track day here about 10+ years before, back when it was the New Hampshire International Speedway before NASCAR purchased the track a few years ago and renamed it, but I hadn’t had my motorcycle on a track since. I HAD however had my car on this track just two months earlier for a two day performance driving Audi track event (which was amazing), so I was re-familiaried with the course, the turns, the best lines (although they vary a bit from cars to bikes and between vehicles based on weigh, power, and many other factors), the pit entrance and exits, etc…

I was riding the same bike as I had 10+ years ago, my ’96 Ducati Monster 900 (Mona), although within the previous month I’d enhanced the engine with a 944 high compression conversion and 41mm flat slide FCR Keihn carbs which gives the bike much more power and lets it pull right up to redline without falling off as previous semi-stock engine setup had done (previously it had an open air box, tuned jet kit, slip-ons, lightened flywheel). I’d also installed SpeedyMoto Tall Boy clip-on handle bars to replace the stock uni-bar. The clip-ons give the bike a more aggressive riding position and allow for better adjustment for finding the perfect set of angles and positions for the most hand/arm comfort.

Despite some trepidation around the event, mostly from not having tracked my bike in over a decade, and also from no knowing anyone at the event, everything went very smoothly and I had a really great time. I slept at a nearby hotel the night before so I could make the 7 AM start time without having to leave Massachusetts pre-dawn and exhausted.  I made it to the track at 7 AM and soon discovered that I was one of the very very few people there who didn’t have a huge enclosed motorcycle trailer specifically for hauling my bike(s), tools, gasoline, multiple race leather suits, coolers, etc… to the track.  All I had with me was my backpack with a couple small tools, some tape, water bottle, power bars, and yesterday’s clothes.  I was one of the very few true amateurs there as it seems like almost everyone else either raced competitively at some level, or the very least did enough track days to warrant the expense of a motorcycle racing trailer and tow vehicle.

We were all split into three groups based on experience.  I was in the middle group as I’ve been riding for many years and have done a track day in the past.  Each group rotates through classroom time (learning theory) and track time (applying theory) with short breaks in between each for water/bathroom/tinkering needs.  Basically you’re in the classroom for 20 minutes, then you get a ~10 minute break, then you’re on the track for 20 minutes, then you get a ~10 minute break, then back into the classroom.  You might think riding only 20 minutes of each hour isn’t enough, but when you’re on the track, at track speeds, really pushing yourself and trying to improve your form, line, throttle control, etc… 20 minutes is physically and mentally exhausting.

I learned a ton that day, everything from body position and how to hang off the side of the bike to increase your cornering speed, from the differences in best approach lines from the car I’d driven there two months ago to the bike I was on now, I learned that my bike was WAY faster than it was previously, and also that there are many bikes and riders who are much faster than me:)  Both the bike and I made it through the day unscathed, although the tires are nicely worked:)

I had a great time and now I’ve got the bug.  Next year I plan to do a lot more track days, and am wrestling with how to best balance my love of racing my car and my bike.  I also need to figure out if I should pick up a used track bike (there are a lot of reasons that tracking my Monster is probably not the best idea – everything from my gas tank being a work of art and virtually irreplaceable if/when I do lay it down and the fact the bike is really setup for street riding not track riding, and I don’t want to ruin the street-ability of it).

Weekend In Maine

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This past weekend I went up to Maine with some friends for a long weekend. It was initially planned as a medium sized group of friends to go up and work on fun, non-day job, coding and development. Unfortunately many people were unable to come at the last minute so it ended up just being three of us. It wasn’t how I had planned it, but it ended up being an absolutely great time anyhow.


My friend Jon rents a cabin on Sebago lake in Maine over the summer and kindly offered to host the event there. The cabin is beautiful and sits right on the lake, with a long dock, perfect for fishing or swimming. It has a large waterfront screened in porch which is perfect for avoiding the afternoon heat and the evening bugs. There is also a large common room with a fireplace , tons of seating, and a long table. The bedrooms are small but feel cosy and comfortable.

I drove up on Saturday afternoon, settled in, and then the three of us went shopping for food supplies. We did some coding and grilled up dinner and got a fire going in the lakeside fire pit for a while before the dark, cold, and some bugs finally chased us inside, where we lit another fire in the fireplace in the common room, and hung out, coding, talking, and just enjoying the relaxing time with friends by the fire.

On Sunday morning I was first awake, which is prety unusual for me. I took advantage of the beautiful morning on the lake by going for a swim first thing. The lake water was chilly but it was a great way to wake up and soon I was happily swimming around and floating on m back watching the sky. I really love being in the water and I wasn’t about to pass up this opportunity. After a shower I made some breakfast and we all ate some cinnamon rolls and OJ.

More coding in the late morning and early afternoon, and then we headed out to grab lunch and rent jet skis. Ive only jet skied twice before, but it’s always a blast! This time was no exception. Christian and I blasted around at breakneck speeds, getting air off wind borne waves, and generally having a great time!

The afternoon was filled with some fishing (to no effect), RC boat racing, and coding. We cooked up chicken fajitas for dinner and worked by the fire before an early bed time.

Monday was another early morning for me, with a brisk swim and then some fishing. This time I hooked a frisky little 8″ fish, snapped a photo, and let him go. Breakfast was eggs and biscuits. More coding on the deck followed. Our afternoon diversion was a trip to the drivnign range where I learned that I should really just get a 5 wood and a putter and nothing else:).

Two more folks showed up Monday night and we did grilled meat for dinner. We had a big fire by the lake and I invented a great desert. Take a smore but replace the Hershey’s chocolate sections with a Reeces peanut butter cup. It’s amazing. Try it. Now.

Tuesday morning was the earliest morning and the coldest swim. I tried my hand at fishing again after my swim but while I was able to hook a few fish, they all escaped before I could get the back to the dock. I made some french toast with leftover bread and wrapped up a few things on my weekend project before I headed home shortly after noon.

It was a really great time. Getting away from work, chores, bills, and a change of scenery can’t be overrated. It was beautiful and my time was my own. I felt productive and engaged in everything I was doing. I found I needed less sleep and slept better than usual.

I want to go back. For a week or two.